Texas Forever
by AKay1297
Summary: When Julie Taylor returns to Dillon, Texas for her 10th high school reunion, she finds herself with an unexpected roommate: Tim Riggins, the stud of Dillon. Feelings arise as they spend the summer sharing a house, and they must face reality as old friends show up. Can they overcome old inhibitions and be happy together? Can they repair relationships and achieve their dreams?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So I know the last thing I should be doing right now is starting a new fic, but I love FNL so much, I just couldn't resist. This is just a short chapter to start out with, they will be longer in the future. So read, review, and enjoy a little Tim and Julie!**

* * *

**Prologue**

Tim Riggins had been living with Coach Taylor for a few weeks now. He wasn't sure what he had expected out of the experience when he had gone into it, really only thinking he needed a place to stay the night, but he sure as hell hadn't been expecting to become friends with Julie Taylor.

Living with her day and night, it was hard not to see her, to listen to her encourage him to try harder in school, to drink a little less. But he hadn't thought he'd actually like to spend time with her. Of course he had thought about her before. She was Coach Taylor's gorgeous, completely off-limits daughter. Especially for a guy like him. He was the petty criminal and she was the princess, locked up by her father and untouchable. Even Seven, who was about as far from an alpha male football player as someone could get, hadn't been able to make things work with Julie.

She was beautiful, she was smart, and though he wouldn't have believed it before living with her, she could make him laugh. She was damn cute sometimes. But she was still untouchable. Her father would never trust him with his baby girl. So he settled for being friends with her. He wasn't sure if it was settling, because he didn't think he wanted a relationship with her, but he did accept that he couldn't have sex with her. Julie Taylor and sex in the same sentence almost seemed wrong.

And yet their friendship didn't stop him from thinking about her in bed. But he could accept it was a friendship.

* * *

Julie Taylor knew it was wrong to think Tim Riggins cared for her. Tim had a different girl every week, he wouldn't want her. He might be living with her family, but that didn't mean he thought anything of her. If anything, he probably thought of her as a little sister, someone he had to protect and tolerate, but he didn't necessarily need to like her. And he sure as hell didn't think about her the way she thought about him.

He was her protector. He was big and strong and safe, and around him, everything felt like it was going to be okay. He was funny, he was smarter than a lot of people gave him credit for, and, though nobody saw it, he was sweet and kind and sensitive. But he had a hardened exterior, one that she only saw glimpses behind when he sat in front of the TV late at night with an expression of incredible sadness etched on his face. He'd had a hard life, she couldn't blame him for not wanting people to pity him. He didn't need pity, he needed respect.

She tried to respect him. She tried not to think that someday he was going to wake up and sweep her off her feet like she was a damsel in distress and he was a strong warrior. She had never been the type to wish guys thought of her like a helpless little girl, because she wasn't, but she cracked it up to wanting to feel the muscles of Tim's arms shifting underneath her. That, and that Matt had never been that great of a boyfriend. She wanted to feel what it was like to have a guy actually be a boyfriend to her, someone she enjoyed spending time with and someone she could open up with.

And she knew it was stupid to think that could happen with him. Tim Riggins didn't do relationships. He did one night stands. And she was even less of a one night stand type of girl than she was a damsel in distress. So she'd suck it up and accept that she was friends with Tim. And hopefully, some day, she'd find a guy who she cared about even more so she could finally believe that she didn't love Tim Riggins. But until then, that sinking suspicion would be nagging at the back of her brain.

* * *

Tim sat at graduation in his blue cap and gown. He was headed off to San Antonio State in the fall, a place he'd never be. Hell, he'd never imagined he'd even make it to graduation, much less get a spot on a college ball team. But he did, and he never could have predicted it, but he was going to miss Dillon. He'd miss Coach Taylor, Mrs. Coach, Julie… especially Julie. He'd miss Six, who he'd finally made peace with about the Lyla situation. He'd miss Lyla herself, and he'd miss Tyra, the one girl in school who always managed to piss him off and make him look like an idiot and make him fall half in love with her with every word she spoke to him. He'd miss Lando, the freak, and his humor. He'd even miss Smash and his ridiculous ego and he'd miss Seven, despite what he put Julie through.

Dillon was just plain his home, and leaving Billy was something that was going to be extremely difficult. His brother had raised him, and even though he turned out a lazy, slightly alcoholic, violent football player, he liked to think Billy had done a damn good job. He had turned out better than he could have.

He wasn't sure what would happen in the fall at San Antonio State, he wasn't even sure what would happen over the summer, but he knew Dillon would always be his home. He glance around him, spotted Street and Lyla in the crowd. He still clutched that dream they had shared before Street had had his accident. Lifting a beer in his mind as he watched the ceremony begin, he thought, Texas forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, y'all! I forgot to do my disclaimer first chapter, so nothing in this fic belongs to me. Now, onto business. This chapter is all about coming back to Dillon. Hope it lives up to your expectations! Oh, and hope everyone has a very merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy 2014! As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

This town again. She had been trying to get away from it for the past ten years, first by leaving and then by ending her engagement to Matt… everything she had worked at for the past decade had been dedicated to escaping her roots. And yet here she was, driving through Dillon on her way back to the house she spent the simultaneously best and worst years of her life in. Julie Taylor sighed as she glanced out the window for the hundredth time. It seemed like nothing had changed in Dillon since she'd left. The Alamo Freeze was still as busy as it had ever been, Applebees was packed, and blue and yellow signs littered front yards, some marking players houses with their last name, number, and position.

It wasn't just Dillon she had wanted to get away from. It was football in general. She had spent the first eighteen years of her life living football, and between her father and Matt, she had gotten enough of it to last her multiple lifetimes. Not that she wanted it to. She wouldn't even watch football on TV on Sundays anymore. It was just too much of a reminder of how much high school in Dillon had suffocated her. And the town was suffocating. One little questionable move and you were the talk of town gossip for weeks. And nothing went away, either. Someone else might take over the spotlight, but no one forgot what you did.

She shifted her eyes back to the road as she passed Riggins Riggs. She had known Tim had gone into business with Billy, but she had no clue it was still around. She knew about the gossip that had been circulating about her and Tim in high school, especially when he brought her home after the Riley fiasco and had been kicked out of her house later that same night. Everyone had assumed he was protecting his newest conquest, and Coach Taylor had found out about them, and kicked Tim out. It made sense, it really did. But no matter how much she had hoped and dreamed in school, Tim had never given her a second glance. Maybe it was because she was the coach's daughter, or maybe it was just her in general. Whatever the reason, she knew it just came down to him not be in interested in her. It wasn't like she wasn't used to it. Boys had never been beating down her door in hopes of going out with her. Why should she expect Tim, the playboy of Dillon, to be interested in her?

Finally, she arrived at her parents house. She was staying there for the summer while she attended her high school reunion. Gracie was staying in Dillon, at her best friend's house, while their parents were at a football training clinic in Austin. She'd be all alone for a month and a half, and then she'd spend a month and a half with her parents. And her mom had told her to check in with Gracie every three days. It was good to know they hadn't lost their special ability to suffocate their kids. Gracie almost had it worse, considering how incredibly beautiful she was. She was prettier than Julie had ever been, and her father knew it. She would bet a lot of money that her dad would scare off any guy that happened to glance her way with his patented 'stay the hell away from my daughter glare'. Julie only knew of two boys that had received that look on her behalf, and Gracie probably knew of tons.

Julie stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk. In all their talk of moving to a new, bigger house, they had never done it, and in a way, she was happy about it. At least she would have a place where she knew everything, unlike in the rest of Dillon. Of course, she'd still know some of its residents, but she had absolutely no interest in socializing with them. She was there to attend the reunion and her father's resignation dinner and get out. And in the meantime, she had told her mother she'd help them redecorate the house. She was running down to the store the next day to pick up a few gallons of paint, some rollers, some picture frames, painting tape, paint brushes, primer, wood stain, and some tarps. Her first job was clearing out the house, and then she was painting all the walls. Her parents had already done a yard sale and gotten rid of all of the furniture and appliances they had decided they didn't want anymore. She had been given a spending limit by her parents, an amount they would pay her back in full for, but she hadn't been to visit them in years. The least she could do was pitch in some extra cash to make the redecoration nicer. She knew her parents had been pinching pennies for years to save up enough to redecorate all at once. It couldn't have been easy. And now that her father was retiring and passing the baton onto an unnamed successor, he deserved the new furniture.

Grabbing her rolling suitcase and duffel bag, she walked to the front door and pulled out her key, trying to keep her bag from slipping down her shoulder as she unlocked the door. She was shocked as she entered the house for the first time in four years. Her mom hadn't been kidding when she'd said they'd gotten rid of a lot of stuff. There was barely anything left inside, with the exception of a mattress on the floor, a mini fridge and microwave, a cooler, a laptop and connected DVD player, and a photo album. Laying her bags down on the floor, she approached the setup and found a note on top of the DVD player. She could practically hear her mother as she read it:

Dear Julie,  
We're so excited you're coming home, sweetheart! We know this isn't exactly what you expected, but there's heat, running water, clean towels and directions to the laundromat. There's sleeping bags and other personal things for the redecoration in the basement, so feel free to grab some at any time if you get cold. Other than that, you know your spending limit, and we're looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks! Good luck and have fun at your reunion!  
Love, Mom

Julie smirked. Her mother's voice resonated in her head. It was starting to give her a headache. Just like high school, she thought. Julie collapsed on the bed, covering her eyes with her arm. It was going to be a long three months in Dillon.

* * *

Tim Riggins pushed open the front door of the house. It wasn't five o'clock yet, but that hadn't mattered to him much in high school, and he thought it was a good time to bring back old habits. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and paced around the floor. Another day, another run in with Lyla. He couldn't take much more of this. Seeing her face every day drove him crazy. He couldn't wait til he was done finishing the plumbing in her house with Chris.

In the past ten years, he'd cut down on the drinking a lot. And the women. It might have been the many weekends he'd spent in church with Lyla, but something had made him realize that even if he didn't go to college, which he had, for a little while, he still needed a plan for his future. And drinking himself to sleep every night like his father had wasn't what he wanted his future to look like. Or maybe it was the look on Julie's face when he'd laid her on her bed that night twelve years ago. The weight of her in his arms, her full lips so close to his own had haunted him. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't find a woman that felt so good in his arms. But he knew he couldn't have Julie, so he'd have to settle for someone else.

That was why he was trying to keep his options open this summer. So many people were coming back to Dillon for Coach Taylor's retirement ceremony. Maybe an old friend would show up and he'd reconnect. He liked to think he had gotten better at relationships since high school. He and Lyla had been engaged once upon a time. They'd almost made it work, too. It hadn't even been him that had broken it off. Since then, Lyla had changed. And he was damn tired of dealing with the new Lyla.

Suddenly, he heard water running through the pipes. That was weird. Gracie was staying at the Hanson's for the next few weeks. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here. At least, that was what she had believed when Mrs. Coach had offered to let him stay at their house while his was being renovated. Frowning, Tim made his way to the back of the house. At the end of the hall, he heard singing coming from the shower and pounding water against tile. Warm steam was wafting out of the bathroom. Someone was completely at home in the Taylor's shower. Who the hell could it be? Deciding to wait until they cam tout to confront them, he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms.

Ten minutes later, none other than Julie Taylor appeared from the bathroom. A smirk appeared on his face. Well, this would be fun. It appeared she hadn't noticed him yet, but he'd recognize that long, flowing blonde hair anywhere. He'd always imagined it wrapped around his hand as he slowly plundered her mouth with his tongue. He sighed mentally. Yeah, he'd cut down on the women. But that only made the fantasies that much more vivid. Especially fantasies about the woman standing in nothing but a towel in front of him.

"Hey, Taylor." He smirked again as she stared up at him in shock.

"Tim?" She asked, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open for a moment before she realized she was clad in nothing but a towel and she made an effort to cover up her exposed collarbones and shoulders with her hands. Tim smiled.

"C'mon, Jules, it's not like I haven't seen it before." She narrowed her eyes in annoyance and brushed past him toward the suitcases behind the door. "Well, I haven't seen yours before, but you know, there's a first time for everything, right?" She ignored him bending down to unzip one of the bags and rifle through it for clothing.

"What are you doing here, Tim?" She didn't sound very happy. But despite that, seeing her was making him happy. Just being in the same room as her was lifting his mood. She was so damn cute, even in her anger

"I could ask you the same question, Taylor." She glared at him over her shoulder and he smirked, enjoying their exchange. "I'm livin' here over the summer while my house is bein' renovated. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here." He eyed her half naked form closely. "Now your turn. What are you doing here?"

"I'm back for my class reunion and my dad's ceremony. My mother wouldn't let me stay in a hotel." She straightened and faced him, a tight grip on her towel and a bundle of clothing in her hands. "As lovely as this exchange is, I'm going to put some clothes on."

"Aw, but I kinda like you like that, Jules." She glared at him and he smiled back with his trademark grin. She rolled her eyes and moved past him into the bathroom. He rolled his shoulders as hers brushed gently against him on her way past him. He wanted to reach out and grab the silky expanse of skin on her shoulders and pull her against him, feel the length of her body along his. Fulfill some of those fantasies of his. But she was already in the bathroom. He moved through the house, dropping down on the mattress in the middle of the living room.

He flipped through TV stations as he waited for her to come out. This summer had gotten a whole hell of a lot more interesting.

* * *

"Mom, how could you do this to me?" Julie asked quietly through the phone. She was hiding out in the bathroom, trying to avoid Tim as long as she could. She wasn't sure her body could take the close proximity to him for much longer. It had been way too long since she'd been with a guy, and apparently it was taking its toll if she was starting to let Tim's flirtatious behavior get past her better judgement. She knew he didn't mean it, it was just his nature, but it was making her believe she really could enjoy just one night with him and leave unscathed.

"Well, I'm sorry, honey, but we knew you wouldn't stay with us if you knew Tim was going to be there, too." Her mother's voice drifted through the phone line and Julie rolled her eyes. Of course, her mother was going to pretend it wasn't that big of a deal.

"You were willing to have me stay alone at home with Tim Riggins? You wouldn't do that in high school when he stayed with us." Anything she could do to get Tim out of the house would be beneficial for her.

"Well, honey, you're twenty eight. You think we'd be nervous about Tim Riggins being in the house with you? I think you have more restraint than that, sweetie. You never swooned over him while he was here, I don't think you need to worry about it now." There was a thoughtful pause over the line. "But don't think your father or I will be happy if we come back and find out something happened between the two of you while you're staying together in that house. Goodbye, sweetie."

"No, Mom, wait-" Julie sighed as the line clicked dead. There was something her mother wasn't telling her, that much she could tell. She yawned. It was getting late, and she didn't have the energy to dwell on it anymore. Staring at the door in dread, she hesitantly reached out and turned the knob. She glanced out before sighing in relief and opening the door fully. Tim wasn't there anymore. She knew she'd have to face him eventually.

She made her way out into the living room, stopping before she made a sound and alerted him of her presence. He was reclining on the mattress, his big body stretched out, a muscular arm thrown over his head. He'd been built in high school, but he'd filled in since then, becoming only bigger and more defined. If she were any other woman and he were any other man, she'd have sighed in delight. But they were themselves, so she'd have to hold that blissful sigh inside. But it didn't stop her from wishing she could stretch herself out next to that body, rub herself along it. She was practically salivating to feel the ridges between his muscles.

"You know I can hear you, right?" She almost jumped as he turned and smirked at her, one corner of his mouth lifting before the other. "You breathe kind of loudly."

"Whatever." She brushed her hair out of her face and stepped into the room, holding herself up proudly. "So, where are you sleeping?"

He raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a moment in disbelief, before gesturing to the mattress below him. "Right here, sweetheart."

She scoffed. "Um, no, that's where I'm sleeping. Where are you sleeping?"

"I'm not sleeping on the floor, if that's what you're suggestin'," he said, smiling as she dropped her mouth open in shock. He would get a kick out of living in the same house as her no matter what, he knew, but he couldn't resist but try to benefit himself. He wanted to feel Julie fitted in his arms, even if it was only in sleep. But the protective instincts inside him came out at the same time, and he wanted to hold her close all the time and keep her safe from danger. Even danger to her heart. "What, are you scared to sleep in the same bed as me, Taylor? It's not even a real bed."

She stared at him narrowly for a moment, before finally giving in. "Fine," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Move over."

Slightly surprised at her willingness, he moved over on the mattress and watched her profile as she leaned back on the soft fabric and engrossed herself in the TV show. She was the only girl he knew who could sit through an episode of Sports Center, not only without falling asleep, but understanding everything they discussed. He found that insanely attractive. Thank you, Coach and Mrs. Coach, he thought happily. For once, Southern hospitality was working in his favor. A cold beer in his hand, sports on TV, and a sexy woman by his side. Toby Keith said it best when he sang "you gotta love this American ride".


End file.
